MaRS confirms network of 20 international partners, building Canada's global innovation gateway
MaRS's international network gives Canadian scale-ups a direct pathway to global ecosystems, markets and customers.
TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2026 /CNW/ -- Today, at the Innovation Exchange: MaRS Global Summit in Toronto, MaRS Discovery District secured commitments from more than 20 international innovation agencies and partners. This network builds off the successful model MaRS has developed with Innovate UK, Invest Northern Ireland and the Toyota Mobility Foundation's Mobility Unlimited Hub. Eight memoranda of understanding (MOUs) were signed today, with the remainder progressing through final review and signature in the weeks ahead.
The premise behind this global initiative is straightforward: attracting investment into Canada while also creating pathways for Canadian innovation into international markets. The MaRS summit was designed to follow directly on heels of the federal Investment Summit to help Canadian science and tech companies translate that investment and innovation into international customers, partnerships and growth.
From market access to market outcomes
The network reflects something Canadian companies have always understood: with a small domestic market, building for just one market was never an option. That instinct now lines up with a recent shift in federal priorities to diversify trade. It's critical that Canadian companies get the support they need to build out their multi-market strategies while remaining headquartered here, and the partners in this network -- from the U.K. to Japan, Northern Ireland to Australia -- provide it.
Canada has built an extensive network of trade agreements and international relationships. But market access alone doesn't guarantee commercial success. Companies still need trusted partners, market intelligence and connections to customers, investors as well as procurement opportunities to convert that access into revenue. The MaRS network is designed to help close that gap by connecting Canadian companies with innovation organizations that understand their local markets and can provide pathways to commercial opportunities.
Canadian scale-ups consistently cite finding the right partner to reach customers as a critical factor in international growth. With the ongoing trade disruptions with the United States, more and more founders are looking to diversify their markets: In a recent MaRS poll of founders, 47 percent of respondents reported that they have shifted focus beyond the U.S. in the past 18 months.
"What we heard from our founders is that they need help making the right connections into new global markets -- the kind that lead to real customers and real growth," says Grace Lee Reynolds, CEO of MaRS Discovery District. "Capital gets a company built, but without customers, it only gets you so far. This network is how we help scale-up companies make those critical connections."
From international network to Canadian capability
The Innovation Exchange: MaRS Global Summit is just the beginning. MaRS intends to work with governments, innovation organizations and ecosystem partners to develop the network as shared commercialization infrastructure, expanding international market pathways, connecting companies to customers and procurement opportunities, and using data to identify where Canadian capabilities align with global demand. The model is designed to complement the work of organizations already supporting Canadian companies internationally, including federal and provincial governments, economic development agencies and trade and investment organizations. Rather than creating another standalone program, we aim to connect existing Canadian solutions through a common pathway, making it easier for companies to find the right opportunities.
MaRS plans to keep expanding this network with additional countries and agencies over time, alongside continued programming and direct introductions for companies on both sides.
MaRS Discovery District is a charitable organization and one of North America's largest urban innovation hubs, helping Canadian science and technology companies commercialize and scale. Building on a 25-year legacy of supporting founders, MaRS connects ventures with capital, customers, talent and expertise -- through venture programming and partnerships, MaRS IAF (one of Canada's most active seed-stage venture funds), MaRS Connect (a live digital marketplace linking commercially ready ventures with buyers, partners and sources of capital), and more than 1.5 million square feet of world-class lab, office and event space across the MaRS Centre and MaRS Waterfront in downtown Toronto. Since 2010, MaRS-supported ventures have generated $11.5 billion in cumulative revenue, raised $19 billion in funding and created and maintained more than 33,000 jobs.
SOURCE MaRS Discovery District
For more information or to schedule an interview: MaRS Discovery District, Wendy Bairos, Director of Corporate Communications, [email protected]
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